438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea

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Declared “the best survival book in a decade” by Outside Magazine , 438 Days is the true story of the man who survived fourteen months in a small boat drifting seven thousand miles across the Pacific Ocean. Like fishermen in villages worldwide, the local crews that launch from Costa Azul face a bleak future: give up fishing or every few years adjust to the realities of overfishing and travel farther out to sea. Alvarenga chose the latter. He didn’t even see it as a risk. He preferred to live on the water. In his first thirty years, life on land had provided as many problems as pleasures—some nearly fatal, as a pair of deep scars on his head and arms so clearly attested. But the few fish he caught weren’t enough. Their bodies were starved for water and protein; Alvarenga could feel his throat closing in on itself. Extreme sun blasted the men, and their only refuge was huddling together in their icebox.

438 Days by Jonathan Franklin - Pan Macmillan

I really enjoyed this book. Alvarenga comes across as a very humble hero. His story is so incredible. I spent lots of time trying to imagine what I would do to survive. The most compelling evidence of Alvarenga’s resolve is that his crew mate died after the first 4 weeks. Surviving 4 weeks at sea is no small feat, but Salvador Alvarenga lost the only human company he had and then went on to live another 13 months alone. It is hard to really comprehend what he went through. Who was Ezequiel? The truth is, Alvarenga didn't know. Nobody from the fishing village knew. They called him Ezequiel Cordoba or Pinata. The Telegraph said that another fishermen said "there was a boy on that boat" but that they didn't really know anything about him. Also, his age is unknown. Accounts vary on Ezequiel's age, stating anywhere from 22 (the book), 23 (The Telegraph) and 24 (NBC). Connelly, Sherryl (November 14, 2015). "Fisherman survives '438 Days' lost at sea, story told by Jonathan Franklin in new book". The Daily News . Retrieved August 11, 2019.After 11 days in a hospital, Alvarenga was deemed healthy enough to return to El Salvador. However, he was diagnosed with anemia, had trouble sleeping and developed a fear of water. In 2015, he gave a series of interviews about his ordeal to the journalist Jonathan Franklin, who published his story as the book 438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea. [15] Alvarenga is not perfect. He drinks, he smokes marijuana, he parties hard, he left his daughter -- a one-year-old -- behind and he's an illegal living in Mexico. Franklin doesn't try to hide any of that. But we also see the good in Alvarenga, a man who refuses to quit. He takes pride in his job, finds family among his coworkers, has a good sense of humor and a generous spirit. Thank you for choosing 438 Days as a book to be shared with your many readers. 438 Days is both an easy read and a disturbing look at extreme suffering. The lessons lived by Salvador Alvarenga as he drifted for over a year is the kind of tale that reaches a wide audience. School children and grandparents alike can readily understand the challenges of surviving alone at sea, adrift for months.

438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of [PDF] [EPUB] 438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of

Days is an inspirational tale that is incomparable to any other non-fiction story I have ever read. Not only is the story itself noteworthy but Jonathan Franklin’s deft handling of the tale is nothing short of exceptional.Alvarenga was not a narco or willing to run even the occasional cocaine bale up the coast, despite the promise of riches. At sea off the coast of Mexico, he had seen the savage fate of fishermen who gambled in the business of “Los Kilos” and run afoul of drug lords. Once he had motored up to a fisherman’s half-sunken boat and found the hull riddled with bullets. He tried to haul it home but it sank. There was no sign of the crew. Being eaten alive by sharks was probably the least violent way they could have died. At least sharks didn’t torture. It was raining the day Córdoba died, recalls Alvarenga. The two men, as they’d done almost daily for weeks, were huddled inside the icebox. They prayed. Córdoba asked Alvarenga to visit his mother and said that he was now with God.

Book Club: 438 Days | News | RGfE Radio 2 Fact not Fiction Book Club: 438 Days | News | RGfE

How do you go for a swim, or to scrape tasty barnacles from the bottom of the boat when there are sharks around? How do you overcome the depression of having fishermen wave to you from a container boat and pass on by? Franklin is a superb writer, chronicler of the only person ever to been documented surviving and living off the sea for more than a year. a b c d e Johnson, Giff (February 4, 2014). "Real-Life Castaway Survived On Dreams Of Tortillas And Family". Business Insider . Retrieved February 4, 2014.Tune in to the Radio 2 Arts Show on Friday 27 November to hear an interview with Jonathan Franklin talking about his book.